Before Dawn
by Cravedfictions
Summary: Ian Rider knows that the one thing he hold most precious will be the thing that kills him in the end. A series of one shots based on Ian and Alex's relationship set as a prequel to the Alex Rider Series.
1. Complications : Part 1

**This is my first ever fanfiction, I guess you could say that this is my trial run so I'm sorry if there's incorrect facts in this or spelling errors which I've overlooked . If all goes well I hope to write a series of one shots surrounding the lives of Ian and Alex as a prequel to the series. It may take a while between uploading because exams and etc. This is part one of my first short story, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer : I am not Anthony horowitz by the way, I don't own the Alex Rider series or any of the Characters in it. These stories are made purely for fun and are not to be published.**

Complications : Part 1

When the doorbell rings four times consistently with little time for response on a Sunday afternoon, you know the figure leaning heavily against your door frame has no intentions of a leisurely neighbourhood visit.

Ian Rider glanced up briefly from behind his newspaper which was currently shielding him and most of the kitchen table from view as he quickly summed up his options on whether or not it was advisable to answer the door, knowing that whoever was standing behind it was mostly likely set to make his day off very unpleasant.

He could vaguely hear his nephew shuffling around upstairs as he rooted for the many wonderous sports related treasures that he kept safely stored in a pile of unclaimed laundry and expensive formal wear shoes underneath his bed.

He smiled inwardly remembering Alex's less than impressed reaction to the shoes Jack had brought home for him to wear to the funeral of the crazy cat lady who had lived on their street for nearly fifty years. "I don't think she's going to care what shoes I'm wearing to her funeral if she's dead Jack" had been his only response. Needless to say he got away with not wearing them after a surprise 'football training session' had been scheduled for that same evening, much to his discrete yet uncontained delight.

Ian relived this source of amusement as he made his way to answer the door, pausing only once to check if his gun was securely hidden in the potted plant behind the coat rail though still accessible if ever needed in an emergency.

He peered discretely through the eyehole on the top of the door only to see a hooded figure in sunglasses hunched slightly leaning in towards the doorway, obviously not keen on being seen by nosey neighbours or any other threat that may be present in the immediate area.

Ian cautiously released the latch on the door as he stepped back to assess in full view the mysterious figure that had arrived uninvited at his home in a central London residence with not much room for privacy. His eyes widened considerably as he weighed up the familiar looking man who was grinning lazily at him, almost condescendingly as he waited to be greeted by the man of the house who he considered to be in many ways, an old friend.

"Ash" Ian exclaimed in mild surprise as he remained standing in the doorway, his arm leaning heavily against the door frame for support as his visitor chuckled in quiet amusement at the incredulous look on the Riders' face. "What are you doing here? I thought you opted for a transfer to Australia?" Ian inquired, weighing his friend up taking in his rugged and disheveled appearance, noticing the way in which this man carried himself when out in public, cautious and guarded.

"I was in the neighbourhood, catching up with some old colleagues and thought I might drop by. I'm looking into some overseas financing in London for a couple of weeks and I figured this would be the perfect time to catch up" he explained, his tone casual and unassuming as he stepped over the threshold uninvited as Ian stood his ground examining Ash more closely as he vaguely noticed his obvious weight loss and dark bruises underneath his eyes. Both tell-tale signs of deteriorating health.

Ian experienced a momentary sense of doubt and uncertainty about whether or not is was a good idea to allow this man into his home with such little knowledge of what his occupation had entailed over the last number of years but this brief encounter with anxiety was quickly shattered by the patter of running feet on the stairs.

"Ash!" Alex exclaimed delightedly as spotted the sight of his godfather lurking in the doorway. "Hey kiddo, how's it going?" Ash enquired, smiling down at his enthusiastic seven-year old nephew but remaining passive as he stood leaning against the door frame with his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"Ok" Alex replied shrugging but still seeming pleased at the sudden rare appearance of his godfather. "School still sucks and football's still great".

"That's always the way. Star pupil I'd imagine to say the least" Ash responded his eyes fixed on Alex, his smile growing a little thinner as he continued to stare down at his now embarrassed godson.

Alex's cheeks coloured a little as he collected himself from the slightly condescending assumption. Ian watched all of this with growing concern as he opted for a distraction from the awkward silence that had now descended upon the three of them.

"Why don't we go to the kitchen and have a drink, It'll give us a chance to catch up" Ian suggested as he motioned towards the end of the hallway and Ash gratefully obliged as he followed Ian to the table and sat himself down at the seat furthest seat away from him as he took in his surroundings, surveying the house with a sense of intensity that Ian couldn't place.

"So, what have you been up to the last few years? I haven't heard much from you since that briefing in Cornwall about two years back. I was almost beginning to think you were avoiding us" Ian suggested jokingly but with a certain element of seriousness as he stared down Ash who was sitting back, slouching in his chair with a certain confidence that made him seem almost unbreakable .

"Oh, I've been doing a bit of surveillance, trying to tie up some loose ends in the security sector. The pay isn't too bad but the nighttime shifts are murder" Ash replied with a hint of a smirk playing around the edges of his mouth. He looked as if he were enjoying some inside joke.

Ian nodded keeping his eyes downcast as he tried not to look too inquisitive. "It must be difficult. Being away from family or friends for work purposes is one thing but complete isolation is another" Ian remarked quietly as he watched for Ash's seemingly indifferent response. As expected he shrugged his eyes distant and unreadable as he finished his glass of wine and almost immediately reached for is third.

Ian was just about to remind him to take it easy when the back door flew open and several shopping bags flew in door landing in a heap beside the fridge followed by a staggering red-headed young woman with wild curly hair. "The line...in the grocery store... went on.. forever!"

Jack stood in the doorway to the kitchen breathless as she regained her balance, her tangled hair shielding most of her face as she stared in shock at the unnoticed and evidently bemused visitor sitting at the kitchen table.

"I'm...so sorry. I didn't realise we were expecting visitors" she explained, her cheeks flushed as she mumbled an embarrassed apology for the minor disturbance with the groceries.

"It's alright Jack" Ian insisted reassuringly, sitting perfectly relaxed and unsurprised by her flustered outburst. "This is Ash, an old friend of mine. He's in town for a couple of weeks on a business conference and he stopped by to stay hello" Ian did not add that he was more than a little relieved that a brief hello was all it was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Ash reached for her hand, laying on the charm thick as Jack stood rooted in the doorway, blushing uncontrollably. Ian did not miss the way Ash examined her facial expressions for a positive response to his evident flirting before continuing with his serenade style introduction . He sighed inwardly as he watched this, soon realising that it was goings to be a long couple of weeks.

ARARARARARARARARARARARARAR

A couple of days later, Ash and Jack had made it their business to spend as much of their time together as far as possible away from the prying eyes of Alex and Ian and they could not contain their relief at this new development as they quietly celebrated with a game of football and melting strawberry ice cream.

"What do you think she see's in him?" Alex asked curiously as they munched on the end of their cones sitting side by side on the back porch, shielding themselves from the sweltering summer heat.

"I don't know Alex" Ian replied honestly, secretly asking himself the same thing. "They both have one thing in common. They have an immeasurable talent for trouble." Alex smiled cheakily as he thought this over. "No more than we do" he replied confidently, a smug grin spreading across his face, a distant memory resurfacing as he reflected back on their many sky diving trips and exotic holidays.

"Are you implying that I'm an irresponsible adult?" Ian inquired playfully, smiling down at his blond-haired nephew. He enjoyed moments like this when he could just talk to Alex about whatever they wanted without the looming presence of his job surfacing in the conversation.

"No. I'm just saying that you over analyse things sometimes" Alex replied seriously, his eyes focused on something in the distance. "I mean, I always get the impression that you're looking for something every time you meet someone. It's like you're waiting for something to happen that will change everything just so that you can have some peace."

Ian stared at the seven-year old who had just recited the very foundations of his moral beliefs as if it were nothing more than a simple fact of life that needed to be said in order to move on. He quickly hid his astonishment as he slowly realised that Alex was definitely a lot more intelligent than he had ever given him credit for. He was beginning to think he was going to have to be a lot more careful around him when it came to disclosing details about his job.

"Why did he decide leave England anyway? You said he was a bank manager. Don't they get good wages?" Alex asked interestedly, obviously keen to change the subject.

"Yes, he did..." Ian replied struggling to find the words to explain to his nephew. "The job he had just wasn't good for him. He was an old friend of your dads and I think he found it very hard to continue working here after he died. I'm not sure he's ever been the same since" he concluded soberly, watching Alex closely as he absorbed this information.

Ian noted that he was remarkably good and handling difficult situations no matter what the circumstances. In many ways he was just like his father and this worried him to a certain extent.

Just as Alex was about to reply to his uncle's unusually detailed description of a life he never knew, they were interrupted by the sound of Ash's voice calling out to them from somewhere inside the house. They merely looked at each other, not bothering to voice questions about what he could want when clearly they were about to find out either way.

Ian gestured towards the house, inviting him to come in but Alex shrugged in response,clearly unimpressed as he ran off to find the football that had got caught in the ditch earlier. Ian sighed as he stood up, his back aching in protest to the lack of movement it had been given for the last hour as he made his way inside the house.

Ash was leaning confidently against the kitchen counter his arms folded, a knowing smile plastered across his face as he took in Ian's curious expression.

"Where's Jack? I was under the impression that the two of you were spending the morning together" _Outside my house_ Ian added secretly, knowing that Ash's intentions were clearly above the board of 'feelings'.

"Oh she had to run to the store to get some things. She probably got delayed. She said she said she'd meet me here for lunch when she's finished. She must have forgotten that you two were still in" he remarked a little too innocently for Ian's liking.

"Right...well do you want lunch now or will we wait for her?" Ian asked slowly still not sure of what his intentions were. He was looking at him a little too smugly for comfort.

"Oh I'm fine. You help yourself, I'll just make myself comfortable" he remarked turning towards the window with a view of the backyard where Alex was busy playing with a football which was being reciprocated by the wall of the shed.

A cold, hard look entered his eyes as he took in the scene of the undisturbed, morally innocent boy who clearly had no other worries in life than to relish in the path his father had so clearly paved for him. A life of peace and luxury free of the complications and unavoidable casualties associated with MI6.

However at this moment, Ian was utterly oblivious to Ash's cold and distant behaviour towards Alex's presence as the phone in the hallway began to ring with a heightened sense of urgency that Ian could not explain.

"Are you going to get that?" Ash asked casually not moving from his position, a sly critical smile spreading slowly across his face. Ian was however by this time halfway through the house reaching for the phone within a matter of seconds.

Ian's first thought was Jack, as he remembered Ash mentioning something about her getting delayed only to be disappointed when the caller ID indicated an unknown number.

"Hello?" Ian answered cautiously, careful not to openly have his name recorded on an unknown line. However his fears over this were put to rest when he recognised his bosses voice on the other end of the phone line.

"Mr Rider I'm terribly sorry to disturb you while on temporary leave. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Mrs Jones inquired curiously. Was there a hint of suspicion in the woman's voice? "I thought it right to inform you that there have been reports within the last hour of several documents gone missing from storage which had been contained in your account"

Ian felt his blood run cold as he slowly took in the reality of what she had just told him. Files from his account had gone unceremoniously missing meaning that whoever had those files now had intricate details on both his professional and personal life. Which included Alex.

"We'd like you to come in to give us a general idea of what exactly we're looking for seeing as you are the only one who knows exactly what these files contain" she explained reasonably as Ian quickly summed up his options. Mrs Jones quickly caught on to what was bothering him.

"Is there someone there who can watch Alex for an hour?" she asked already knowing what his reply would be as he had used it many times before in his attempt to balance his job in S.O. and his role as Alex's full-time guardian ."I'll figure something out" he replied his voice containing a hint of a strain as he hung up.

Ian stood unmoving in the hall for a moment before returning to the kitchen to where Ash was now sitting in a chair carelessly smoking a cigarette which was half dangling from his lower lip. "Problem?" he asked casually a hint of playfulness entering his eyes as he took in Ian's obvious newly found anxiety.

"I have to run down to the office for a couple of minutes to sort out a few things. Did Jack say when she'd be back?" he asked weighing up his options and deciding to ignore Ash's inconsiderate behaviour in his house as he figured he had enough on his plate without adding a heated argument with a former MI6 employee to the list.

"No. I tried calling her there now but she's not picking up. I presume she's just in an area that has no cell phone reception" he shrugged, seemingly unconcerned either way whether she was or not. "If you want, I could watch Alex for a few minutes until she gets back" Ash suggested, his tone implying a forced sense of indifference as he avoided eye contact with Ian, staring at something in the far off distance.

"No. I couldn't ask you to do that" Ian replied is tone guarded with a hint of defence. He did not feel comfortable leaving Alex alone with this man for any length of time even if he was his godfather.

"It's no problem. He can continue playing outside and I'll continue smoking my cigarette. Like you said it's only for a couple of minutes, he wont even know you're gone" Ash reassured him, lighting up again he continued to stare off into space.

Just at that moment Alex dashed into the kitchen, football in hand as his adrenaline rush came to an end taking in the peculiar site of Ash sitting at the kitchen table smoking like there was no tomorrow.

"Alex, I have to run down to the bank to sort out some things with my account. Would you be okay if I left you here with Ash for a couple of minutes?" he asked looking directly at Alex, making sure he received his approval that it was okay before any decisions were made.

Alex thought for a moment setting his sights once again on Ash who was smoking like a chimney, his cigarette smoke now filling the kitchen clouding his vision.

"It's okay with me" Alex replied finally seeming unconcerned with the arrangement as he figured it was just like any other time Ian had gone away before Jack was around. A babysitter who payed little or no attention to him with motivation to do little else but sit around counting up the hours they were getting paid for.

"Jack should be home soon" Ian stated firmly, reassuring himself as much as anyone else. He grabbed his coat from the closet checking for his phone and wallet as he made his way towards the door. Suddenly he paused his hand resting against the handle. He turned to face Ash.

"Don't let anything happen to him" he warned him just as Alex had made his way back outside to resume his stance with the wall.

"Don't worry Ian. I'll take good care of him. I promise" Ash stated a little too profoundly for Ian to catch his double meaning. He smiled at him lazily gesturing to his cigarette as if it was going to produce a convincing reference for him. Ian took one last look at him before shutting the front door behind him , the quiet hum of his BMW fading into the distance. Ash sat patiently in his chair for several minutes, reflecting back on his own handiwork carried out earlier that morning.

He smiled to himself as he briefly imagined the look on Jacks face when she discovered the slashed tires underneath her car and henceforth the missing battery from her cell phone which had been previously intact earlier that morning. Or better still Ian's incredulous expression when he realised the documents which are now missing from his account all happened to be files relating to the man who was currently sitting at his kitchen table enjoying the view.

It was only when he glanced at the clock to check how much time he had left himself to complete his purpose here that he realised it was finally time. John was going to pay for what he did to him all those years ago, even if it was through the only way he knew it was possible. He had abandoned him at a time when he had needed the support of his friend the most and now his son was going to pay the price.

Slowly and carefully putting out his cigarette, he got up off his chair and made his way towards the utensils drawer. Opening it he took out the sharpest knife he could find, examining it for approval before closing the drawer behind him. Carefully he concealed it under his belt, shielding it from view as he slowly approached the boy with the football who was completely oblivious to his godfather's intentions.

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Ian swore quietly, annoyed with himself as he slowly pulled his car into the breakdown lane. After reaching over to the passenger seat to check his brief case had been securely fastened he realised after a great deal of rummaging that he had left the keys to his office in the top drawer of his desk back at the house.

After pulling over onto the deserted sidewalk a rising level of frustration growing inside him, he took a moment to calm himself closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, exhaling deeply as he had been taught to do during moments of weakness.

Everything was going to be fine. This was just a minor glitch in his security breach. It was nothing he couldn't handle. He would find out what was missing, file a report to the investigations department and they would handle it from there.

Another half hour of suspense wouldn't kill them, he thought feebly as he took a U-turn back into the lane he had just left, heading back in the direction of his town house .

ARARARARARARARARARARARARAR

Ash slowly approached the blond-haired boy as he watched him deep concentration, happily kicking the ball back and forth against the side of the house. Alex glanced up briefly as he noticed his godfather approaching him but made no attempt to make conversation as he continued practicing his soccer skills like Ian had shown him.

"That's very good. Can I join in?" Ash figured a best way to gain a kid's attention was to become engrossed in what they were most interested in.

"Do you play?" Alex asked suddenly as he stopped what he was doing long enough to glance swiftly up at him, his chestnut-brown eyes wide and curious peering up at him from under a sweeping fringe of blond hair.

Ash was momentarily stunned as he was instantly reminded of John, and was forced to look away before he could persuade himself not to go through with it.

"I did a long time ago. I use to be the Captain on my school team" he ranted on attempting to distract himself. If he acted relaxed Alex would too and this in return would finally result in his true motive for coming here. Whatever happened, he knew that Ian could never turn him in because that would mean even more trouble for the company and better still the government.

"So Alex" Ash began, using his conversational tone to lure him a sense of security as Alex kicked him the ball back and forth across the lawn. "Does your Uncle do much work around the house? I noticed the tap in the back kitchen seems to be leaking" he asked, keeping his tone measured as he went in for the kill.

"No. He works a lot. He spends a lot of time overseas going to conferences about foreign trade or something" Alex replied seemingly unconcerned about the whole thing.

"Mmnnn, I bet he does" Ash muttered under his breath, secretly envisioning Ian's face if he ever discovered what he was about to do. "Yea, so I was thinking" he continued "that since your uncle does be _so_ busy with work and everything that you and I could fix it for him."

Alex looked mildly surprised by this and Ash quickly added "I'm sure he'd be grateful. I mean it is only a sink and I'm sure he'd be happy that we got the opportunity to bond together" He smiled down at the seven-year old encouragingly as they gradually slowed their pace.

Alex eventually gave in as Ash predicted he would and they slowly made their way towards the kitchen, Ash's eyes never leaving him the whole way there as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.

ARARARARARARARARARARARARAR

Ian was almost about to give up and turn around as he now faced the never-ending line of traffic leading away from the city centre and towards his house when he felt his phone vibrating from inside his shirt pocket.

He answered it on the second ring, praying that it wasn't his boss looking to know where he was. "Rider" he answered into the device, in too much of a crabby mood to pretend to be nice.

"Thank God!" Stated a thoroughly relieved voice on the other end of the phone line as Ian was suddenly brought back down to earth by the startlingly familiar voice which he so often associated with chaos and wild curly hair.

"Jack, where are you? Are you alright?" Ian asked suddenly alarmed for her safety as he quickly remembered what time it was , an inexcusable sensation of guilt washing through him at that sighed obviously irritated by the tone of his voice for which he could not say he blamed her.

"I'm fine Ian, but I've been stuck on the bridge of a deserted flyover with no cellphone and no car for the last two hours! I had to walk ten miles just to find a payphone that accepted 10 pound bills" she carried on endlessly as Ian sat waiting in the endless traffic line growing more confused by the minute.

"Hold on, what happened to your cell phone and where is the car?" Ian asked calmly hoping that this would have the same effect on Jack, but apparently this is the wrong approach to take when comforting women.

"What HAPPENED? What happened was that Ash and I took separate cars this morning to go on a picnic because he mentioned something about leaving early because he said he had stuff to do. So then after we finished later that morning I stayed behind to clean up but when I got to the car I noticed that some cheeky bugger slashed my tires so I has no ride home. Then I tried to call you and only realised about twenty minutes later that I somehow manage to lose the battery out of my phone..."

She ranted on outlining the details of that mornings' picnic disaster completely unaware that Ian was no longer listening. All at once there were a hundred alarm bells going off inside his head. Every one of them pointing towards Ash. Who was now alone in the house with Alex.

"Jack I have to go" Ian said quietly into the phone his voice tight and controlled as his eyes stared straight ahead, pin pricks of fury as he came to the slow realisation that he had somehow been conned. Only now it was Alex who was going to pay the price.

"What? Ian no, you can't just leave me out here!" Jack protested a tone of utter disbelief entering her voice.

"I'll call you back" Ian replied quickly, hanging up before he wasted any more unnecessary time. No longer caring about his briefcase or his wallet, he stepped out of the drivers seat, abandoning his car in a quarter-mile queue long of traffic surrounded by drivers who were now gawking out of their windows to stare at him.

He ignored them as he started to run, suppressing the urge to throw up as reality dawned on him that he had really left a defenseless seven-year old boy in the care of a monster. He fought back the waves of fury and hopelessness which threatened to consume him as he focused on the task ahead. It wouldn't help Alex for him to lose control.

He vaguely remembered an old taxi lane which used to run by the hour on an adjacent route not far from where he was. He glanced briefly at his watch as he sped up his pace. If he made it there in ten minutes he would just catch the next one which was heading in his direction. He just hoped to god that it wouldn't be too late.

**To be Continued...**

**Uploading the next part might take a while but I'm working on it. Hope you enjoyed the first part, please feel free to review and all comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Complications : Part 2

**Hey yes, so this is the second part of the chapter complications. It didn't actually take me as long as I thought seeing as I haven't been doing as much studying as I should be. Once again, I apologise for spelling mistakes and errors, I'm still getting used to wordpad. Thanks for all the lovely reviews and by the way, I'm actually Irish so if I confuse American terminology for being British, I'm really sorry. I'll try to do better next time. Anyway, here's the chapter.**

Complications : Part 2

"It looks like the problem is the pipe underneath the sink. At least, that's where the water's coming from anyway." Alex's muffled voice came out from under the kitchen sink as only his legs remained visible, the rest of his body curled up inside the counter underneath clutching a flashlight as he tried to decipher where the leak was coming from.

"That's great Alex" Ash replied encouragingly as he distractedly watched as his godson's tiny little feet poking out from underneath as most of his body was small enough to fit inside the kitchen cupboard. "Another couple of days of this and you'll soon be showing your Uncle who's the boss around here." Ash decided to amuse himself by really trying to make the kid feel special. After all, these were the last moments of peace and enjoyment in his life he was ever going to receive.

While Alex had been busying himself trying his best to mend the leaky pipe before his uncle got home, Ash had been routing around in Ian's old tool shed out the back of the house, determined to make this experience as interesting as possible in the limited amount of time he had to complete his purpose there.

He'd told Alex that he gone to look for spare screws from the shed that might help with the whole 'tap fixing' process, but Ash now stood in the centre of the kitchen facing down towards the sink with an Iron bar clutched firmly in his grip as he watched the two little legs squirming beneath the sink.

"Is there anything in the tool box I could use to fix this?" Alex's small voice echoed inside the cupboard as he swiveled around inside to try to get a better look at what he was doing.

"As a matter of fact there is. I have just the thing right here" Ash replied, a hint of sarcasm entered his tone and Alex was suddenly suspicious of the man now standing in front of the kitchen sink. For some reason he could not quite explain, he felt a raw shiver of fear ran down his spine as he slowly made his way out from under the sink.

You could almost say that it was a sixth sense he had developed from a childhood spent living with Ian, some instinct that was almost animal - like which immediately alerted the hairs on the back of his neck that he was in some sort of danger.

As he cautiously crawled out on his hands and knees, squinting his eyes against the sunlight to which he had been deprived of for the last twenty minutes, he immediately noticed that the crow bar which should have been seen poking out from the top of the tool box was now missing from its place where it had been only minutes ago.

Alex, who was now standing in the centre of the kitchen where Ash had been only moments ago was suddenly aware of someone creeping up behind him and his eyes widened in a state of alarm as he quickly realised what was about to happen.

He spun around to face his attacker, positioning himself for a fight as he had been taught to do so many times before in these kind of situations. But before he had time to react, he was suddenly aware of the daylight rushing abruptly towards him as his whole world blacked out and he remembered nothing more.

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"Thank You" Ian muttered quickly as he handed the extremely confused taxi driver a ridiculously large wad of cash, slamming the door behind him as he ran swiftly up the garden path with an urgent sense of purpose.

Reaching the front door in a matter of seconds and blinded by an overwhelming sense of rage, he burst through the front, no longer caring whether he was heard or not. He stood routed to the spot in the downstairs hallway of what appeared to be an empty house, his eyes quickly scanning the room for any signs of a struggle.

"Alex?" Ian called out to his nephew as he slowly made his way through the house, entering the kitchen with a shredded hope embedded into the back of his mind that maybe he had misjudged the whole situation. Then he saw the blood.

There lying on the white tiles of the kitchen floor were tiny pinpricks of red, curving their way around the kitchen table and leading all the way towards the back of the house. Ian's eyes followed the trail with a newly found sense of panic and hysteria rising inside him and he felt his entire body seize up in a state of silent shock as his eyes slowly registered the truly horrific sight that lay before him, waiting just inside the living room floor.

There, lying motionless faced down on the carpeted floor was a boy aged seven, whose eyes were closed and breathing faint as a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face from just underneath his golden locks of blond hair. But just as Ian's mind had begun to register the unthinkable sight in front of him an even more heart stopping one stood just above him.

Ash had positioned himself just in front of the unconscious boy, his eyes glaring with a silent hatred that was directed at Ian, as his hand hovered directly over Alex holding a knife that sharp enough to shred through anything if the right amount of force was applied.

For a moment the two of them stood motionless facing each other in the centre of the room, silent as they both sub consciously weighed up their options based on the predicted outcome of what was about to happen next.

Ian was the first to speak as he it suddenly occurred to him that the next few words that the two of them exchanged would determine the outcome of his nephew's fate. "You don't have to do this" he said quietly deciding that controlled and reasonable were his best options. "There are people you can talk to, you can get help but this isn't a viable solution to your problems" Ian reasoned as he watched Ash's grip on the knife become more pronounced.

"Oh, I think it is" Ash replied, his tone dripping with menace as he tried and failed to control his anger. Ian could clearly see right then and there just how badly he had been hurt that night in Malta seven years ago.

"I gave everything I had to my job" he continued, fueled by his sense of rage. "I served my country with gladness, leaving the military to join the secret service with a sense of pride believing that I was a hero. I gave up my family, my life even my health for the dream job that everyone had me so convinced was worth dying for and do you know what I got for it?" He asked, his voice raised slightly as he relived the horrors of his past. "A stab in the back from a man who I believed to be my friend and a lousy reference shipping me off to the other side of the world all for the sake of saving Alan Blunts job".

He finished on a bitter note, is eyes narrowing in undisguised loathing as he took in once again the elegant furnishings of the Rider house. Ian stood listening to all this barely able to contain his growing sense of impatience as his eyes remained trained on the knife that was still hovering in the air only inches from Alex's head.

"What makes you think that you're going to get away with this?" Ian asked quietly, his gaze flickering back to Ash as he watched a slow but deceiving smile creep into the mans' face.

"It's very simple" his replied, his tone enriched with unbearable sarcasm. "You're not going to tell anyone" he stated simply, his unwavering gaze never leaving Ian's face.

For the first time that day, a pronounced smirk could be seen lingering around the edges of Ian's face as he amused himself with the idea. "Really? Whatever gave you that impression?" he responded deciding it was best to play along.

Ash's piercing gaze sliced into Ian, his left handy steady and unwavering held firmly onto the knife while his right hand slowly and precisely began to unbutton his shirt. Ian held his gaze with a mixture of fear, curiosity and suspicion as he noticed a vaguely familiar shape beginning to surface. on the lower part of his chest.

Ian felt the blood slowly drain from his face, a sudden ringing in his ears beginning to emerge as a distant memory slowly resurfaced in his mind bringing him to a slow realisation of what exactly he had gotten himself into. A figure carved with such precision and intensity, so recognisable in the world of criminal activity that its very presence sent a shiver of fear down the back of the onlooker. The symbol that could only mean one thing. Scorpia.

In that very moment on that very day, Ian had never felt a deeper sense of anger and betrayal as he recalled the day when his brother and his wife had been murdered by the very organisation for which this man represented. As if through an unspoken channel of communication their eyes connected in response to something that had been lingering on the edge of their minds for several minutes now. Ian had never before understood so much as he did in that moment.

"It was you" he whispered, his voice barely audible. He could hear the loathing reflected in his own voice as he had never felt such hatred for another human being as long as he had lived. The man standing in his living room was the reason his seven-year old nephew had grown up without a mother or father.

Ian knew in that moment that he was capable of doing just about anything and for the first time that day he thoroughly regretted what he knew was about to happen.

As if right on cue, having waited for the right moment to intervene, a conjugated group of armed police officers came barreling in through the door, weapons raised, bringing Ash to the floor before the evidently startled Scorpion had time to react. Ian stood his ground, remaining passive as he watched his former friend and colleague being dragged unwillingly through his house and out the front door, his shouts of protest drowned out by the sound of wailing police sirens growing nearer in the distance.

As the faint sight of flashing blue and red lights grew more profound in the darkening streets of London, Ian made his way slowly and cautiously over to where the sleeping boy lay in a state of unconsciousness, utterly oblivious to the nights events. With gentle hands and a newly found sense of loss buried deep into his soul, he held his nephew close promising him that whatever happened, he would not allow the soulless organisation which had taken his godfather to lay siege on him aswell.

As carefully as his arms would allow him, he carried the sleeping boy through the open doors and towards the new arrival of an awaiting ambulance, a promise in his heart that so long as he lived that his brothers' death would not go unavenged...

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Alex woke to the sound of a beeping monitor making itself known somewhere overhead as blinding florescent lights shone down on him from overhead. He was vaguely aware that a needle had been placed underneath the top layer of skin on his left arm but he struggled to see exactly where it was as an oxygen mask was now blocking his view covering most of his face.

As he reached out his free arm in his attempt to yank it off, another arm much stronger than his, though surprisingly gentle, held it down as he slowly looked up to see his uncle's collected smile peering down at him, his eyes softer than Alex had ever seen them.

Ian rider had been out getting coffee having a spent a long sleepless night in a chair beside his nephews hospital bed, when he returned to see the seven-year old boy stirring gently beneath a see of blankets and monitors attaching themselves to his body. Ian found himself struggling with his emotions not for the first time that day at the sight of a child having to endure the pain caused by mistakes that were made long before he was even born.

"I think that's a bad idea" he reassured him softly has he took his nephews hand which had been ready to rip off the oxygen mask which appeared to be almost smothering his face. Ian then caught the sight Alex's chestnut-brown eyes peering up at him in a silent plea and with a sigh of defeat he gently removed the oxygen mask from his tiny face.

The features of Alex's face slowly came into view as Ian immediately tried without success to read his expression. For a moment neither of them spoke as Alex made himself comfortable in the bed which was lined with woollen blankets and scratchy sheets, both of which made it difficult to relax while being pinned to a bed with artificial drips and needles that seem to keep on extending forever. Ian spoke first.

"How are you feeling?" he asked calmly looking directly into Alex's eyes which much to his growing sense of anxiety were not being reciprocated.

"Fine" Alex replied curtly, staring at the floor, obviously not keen to bring up whatever topic which was clearly dominating his thoughts.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ian asked softly, feeling it was better to give him the choice to bring it up before he did. At least that way he could feel he had some sense of control over what happened to him.

"Why did you leave?" Alex asked suddenly, his eyes staring intently up at Ian, filled with confusion and a hint of frustration that Ian couldn't place. Ian blinked.

" I went to the bank, to sort out some things like I told you I would" Ian replied reasonably looking down at his nephew with evident curiosity as he watched him screw up his eyebrows in state of intense concentration as he tried to recall this conversation which he obviously had no recollection of.

"You don't remember anything that happened?" Ian asked curiously, a sweet sense of relief flooding through him as he realised that he no longer needed to receit a decade of bitter family history to a seven-year old who before the previous day, had never been exposed to the world of spys and assassins. And as far as he was concerned, it was going to stay that way.

Alex shook his head in response although he still looked troubled as he tried to recall a distant memory that was no longer there. "Where did Jack go? I thought she was going on a picnic?" he asked, a hint a worry suddenly registering in his eyes when he realised that she wasn't there with them.

"Oh, she's fine. She's at home. Her car broke down a bridge yesterday that had no phone reception so I sent a police officer around a couple of hours later to pick her up. She certainly wasn't happy" Ian smiled, a sense of guilt threatening to overcome his amusement to her notorious reaction at having left her on a deserted flyaway bridge for five hours.

"She was worried about you but I told her to go home and get some rest. There's no point in the two of us fighting for a hospital chair to sleep on when you were going to be unconscious the whole time" Ian reasoned as Alex's face grew even more confused.

"But, what happened? Why am I here?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows, determined to get a straight answer out of his uncle, even if it required a lot of pulling and tugging.

Ian thought for a few moments of what best to tell his nephew that wouldn't frighten him, or leave him feeling vulnerable in a house that was unsafe to live in. In the end he had decided to tell him what he had originally told Jack when she had arrived confused and dazed at the hospital only a day earlier.

"You hit your head while you were underneath the kitchen sink trying to fix the pipe and you must have blacked out shortly afterwards because that's where I found you when I came back from the office" Ian replied completely unfazed by the ease at which he had just it was not a problem as Alex nodded, seemingly accepting this as a reasonable outcome to a messy situation.

"Was there anyone else there?" Alex asked politely, apparently wanting to clear the air, as the opportunity to ask Ian multiple questions on any topic rarely came along in his world.

The moment of truth Ian thought bitterly to himself as he cursed the job he had so faithfully resigned himself to which prevented him from having any kind of honest relationship with his only nephew.

"No. There was no one. I asked Mrs Norris from next door to keep an eye on you when I was gone"

And there it was. A fool-proof, flawless, inconsolable lie into which his own conscience had been so greatly consumed. However this was not to take from the peace of mind it gave him to know that Alex would feel safe and happy in the knowledge that his life was much less complicated than it actually was.

As if to confirm this new-found sense of relief, a helpful nurse entered the room holding a tray which held all the delights of a tasty midnight snack and as they sat there talking into the night, they relished in the fact that this time gave them, if nothing else, the freedom to think without complications.

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"You're absolutely certain that there is nothing else going on that I should know about?" The voice insisted, an edge of both defiance and confidence to be clearly heard in her voice.

"No ma'am" he replied "Nothing at all" Ian sat confident and collected in the chair facing his boss as she continued to assess him, looking for tell-tale signs of weakness or uncertainty. Mrs Jones was not a fool and she had not advanced her career to this level of intelligence work without the knowledge that she knew every single one of her agents from the inside out. However it just happened to be this particular day that she found herself at a loss for words.

She could tell by the way in which Ian Rider had arranged both his body language and his facial expressions to appear casual and disinterested that something had happened involving the break in to his house that he was not telling her. In spite of this she knew it wasn't concern for Ian Rider's possessions that was causing her to react this way to the incident on his house so much as the fact that it was Ash who had been involved.

She had confronted him after the incident in Malta to review his recovery, both physical and mental, and was evidently concerned by what she saw. In the place of the man whom her company had once recruited as a great and fearsome soldier, was a shallow broken soul lost in the midst of a world which refused to reclaim him as their own.

It was for this reason that she confronted Ian Rider now. Although she could not deny that it was proving to be much more difficult than she would ever believed to be possible.

Ian rider sat in the chair which had become so familiar to him in recent years, composed and seemingly unconcerned about his bosses obvious suspicion regarding his recent entail involving Ash. However this new-found sense of scrutiny did not affect in any way the ability which he had been taught to perform so well. Lie.

After many long days of conflicting emotions and sleepless nights, he had finally decided to do what was best for everyone and take on Ash on his own terms. He knew whole heartedly that Mrs Jones would do everything in her power to bring down the man who had been responsible for John Riders' death if given the opportunity, but Ian recognised that this was something he had to do alone.

It was he who had missed the birth of his nephew in the race to aid John in bringing down Scorpia, It was he who had turned down the opportunity to be best man at his brothers' wedding because he believed that Ash was the preferential choice over him, And it was he who had allowed these people access into him home, leaving Alex virtually unprotected. This was no longer a matter of Queen and Country. This was personal.

They both remained sitting, glaring intently at each other in complete silence for what seemed like several minutes. Ian noticed that his bosses voice had acquired a new edge following his refusal to give her any information about the incident with Ash other than what he had given in the police report, and he slowly became anxious as the silence stretched on, giving way to an uncomfortable method of silent communication. Ian could not bring himself to place the sudden intensity whith which she had now taken to assess him.

He was about to ask her for a dismissal to leave providing there was no more questions that she intended to grill him with, when he was saved by her abrupt change of heart. She stood up offering a hand and an over polite smile in what appeared to be a gesture of truce, her eyes suddenly glinting with a hint of triumph as Ian turned away from her, making his way swiftly towards the door. Just as he was about to step out into the corridor, he heard his bosses voice calling out to him from behind.

"You care for Alex, don't you"? Mrs Jones enquired casually, her eyes suddenly becoming occupied with a stack of neatly folded papers on her desk.

Ian felt his whole body stiffen, a knot growing ever more pronounced inside him as he turned to face her once again. "Yes" he replied through gritted teeth, his voice even and controlled.

"Good" she replied curtly "Make sure your loyalty to this company remains in tact and we'll make sure it stays that way" she concluded, turning her back to him, no longer feeling the need to interrogate him as she knew that whatever game Ian had been intending on playing, that she had just won.

Ian remained standing by the doorway in silence, staring after her for several minutes before stepping out onto the deserted corridor, closing the door behind him. Standing in the abandoned corridor in a long narrow passage on the sixteenth floor of MI6 headquarters, Ian found himself fighting back an overwhelming sense of fury. He knew in his heart and soul that MI6 had the capability of using ruthless tactics to acquire their aims, but never did he believe even for a moment would they stoop so slow as to threaten the life of a child to achieve their goals.

He suddenly found himself torn between a mixture of emotions ranging from anger to betrayal, and he reflected back on the source of pandemonium for which his life had become over the last number of years, for the first time in so long he found himself experiencing the reality of being truly alone.

**Okay, so that's kind of it for the first story. I apologise for the change of storyline at the end - I wasn't happy with the first version. I'm sorry about the lack of action. I'm still getting used to this style of writing. Next time I plan to do something a little more low-key, to lower the tension a little bit, maybe a one-shot on Alex and Ian's 'normal life'. School, work, etc. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to view and let me know what you think.**


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